Our Teachers

Emily Halliwell:

Emily Halliwell began piano at the age of 3 and has been teaching piano since she was eighteen. She has love of games, composition and experimentation at the piano as well as grounding her approach with good technique and attentiveness to musicality and colour at the instrument

She completed her ARCT in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music with High Distinction and has won prizes and awards at Toronto music festivals. She has worked under Dianne Werner, Margaret Halliwell, and Andre LaPlante and is currently finishing her Doctorate at the University of Toronto.

Brett Kingsbury:

Brett Kingsbury is a diverse performer, active in both solo and collaborative capacities. He is pianist for the acclaimed Madawaska Chamber Ensemble, and he has worked with many ensembles and performers, including members of the Hamilton Philharmonic and Toronto Symphony Orchestras, and violinist David Gillham. Brett has also championed Ferruccio Busoni's daunting Fantasia Contrappuntistica, a rarely heard work that was the topic of his doctoral dissertation, and which he has performed for both the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society and at the University of Toronto Scarborough. This season’s concert highlights include a solo recital at Western featuring music of Franck and Schubert; a performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra; a viola recital with Caitlin Boyle, formerly of the noted Cecilia String Quartet; and a concert with Chamber Music Hamilton featuring Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals.

Brett is currently an assistant professor at the Don Wright Faculty of Music at Western University, where he teaches studio piano, Performance Research, and Piano Literature. Brett is also a former sessional lecturer at the University of Toronto Scarborough and at Brock University. He is in demand as an adjudicator for music festivals across the province. While a student at the University of British Columbia, he was named R. Howard Webster Fellow at Green College.

Lilia Temirkanova:

A creative and dynamic piano teacher with over 20 years of experience, I bring a wealth of knowledge and versatility to my teaching approach. Recognized for my ability to understand and address a variety of challenges, both musical and interpersonal, I am adept at devising innovative solutions that foster student growth. My teaching philosophy emphasizes the integration of musical theory and history into lessons, inspiring students to explore improvisation and composition. Through individualized program development and lesson planning, I ensure that each student receives personalized attention tailored to their unique needs and goals, creating a dynamic and enriching learning environment.

Annual Halloween studio concert at Heliconian Hall